Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles 75 grain a-max in 20" barrel

I've got a rem 700 LTR (20" barrel) and 100 75 grain A-Max's. I am guessing I will be able to push these bullets to about 2500 fps through the stubby barrel. For those that have experience with these bullets, do you think I will get expansion out to about 300 yards? Bullet should drop to about 2000 at 250 and well over 1900 at 300, but I'm not too sure how fragile these bullets are.

Or I may just use them for targets and continue with the 60 grain V-max's, but I'm trying to cut down on the wind drift.

I've heard that some LTR's will run that bullet, some won't. It is right on the bubble regarding twist rate. Only one way to find out....

I'd be suprised if you don't hit 2800+ with the 20"er. My FF loads w/75's in my 223AI would hit 2900+ with the 22" barrel. I'd try R-15, I bet you'll end up somewhere around ~25-26gr and hopefully your rifle will stabilize them. Good luck, its a great bullet.

2800 shouldn't be a trick.

There are probably some people who would [bleep] that up.....let's hope JO doesn't get his sheet metal gloved hand on a 223AI.

Give him a piece of toast and he'd probably butter the wrong side...

Hrmm, I have a scanned copy of the page from hornady's load manual for that bullet. And it shows max velocity at 2700 with BLC2 (25.2 grains), and H4895 (23.3 grains) at a COAL of 2.39. I am slightly shorter for my magazine at 2.35 COAL. Both of which I have on hand. Not sure on the barrel length but I am guessing it was 24. Am I missing something? I have a newer LTR with 1-10" twist and that is what the side of the box recomended. I see that now they have changed that to say 1-9 twist.

And according to the scanned page max load for RL-15 is 24.1 grains.

morte, I would make a dummy round to touch the lands and see what length you're looking at. If your rifle will shoot them then it is just a 10 or 15 minute job to tweak your magbox to be able use the longer loaded rounds. You can still retain the original spring/follower as well.

I hadn't heard of a 1-10"tw LTR, I thought they were all 1-9".

The Lyman manual has some good load data for the 223 and 75 Amax. If you can wait about 5 minutes I'll snap a pic of the page and post it up here for you so you can see what they were running. Give me 5 minutes.

Yep, same manual I was thinking of.

Going slow ain't gonna help them stabilize in a 1-9"

Here you go.

Brad-what barrel length is Lyman using in their tests?

Thx
Dober

24

Some 20" tube loads also, but not for that bullet.

Mark, Scott is correct on the barrel length's.

Just looking at three bullets that they used in both the 24" and 20" (69SMK,77SMK,80SMK) the avg velocity loss they show is only about 50fps for the 20" data when compared to the 24" data.

Thanks for the info. Must have been confused on the twist, thanks for the correction. I know they used to make them in 1-12" twists and then they sped them up a bit. I've got 4 powders that are listed in there, but no RL15. BLC2, 748, and IMR 4064 and 4895. Don't really plan to restock any of them once they are gone though.

Thx, of course it's different tubes going from 20" to 24" and not the same one cut down, so it aint quite apples to apples but close enough for most (meaning 50 fps for the 4 inches).

A while back I cut a 26" 223 tube down to 21", if I can find the data on b4 and after I'll post it for giggles. Good gracias I can't quite get my head around a 26" tube on a 223...

Dober

That's true Mark....although anymore I don't sweat speeds like I used to. I used to be that guy who had "winter" and "summer" loads for the same rifle....not anymore. It took me a little while to figure out on my own that 100fps really isn't a big deal to the critters. LOL.

I wouldn't mind seeing that 223 data if you do come across it.

I totally hear you on that Brad, once in a huff to get a round to a certain speeds (had to have that extra 42 fps don't ya know...) even tried to run magnum primers just so as to get myself there.

Zeesh am I ever glad that those days are over. 100 fps doesn't mean much to me anymore either. I know that with dotz or turrets I can do about anything and at about any speeds.

What do amaze me sort of, is to chat with people running dotz or turrets who are still red lining the dog pee out of rounds. Now those guyz defiantely need to graduate and move on from red liner class just like I didn...

Ballistic maturity is something that most find sooner or later.

Don't mean that ballistic gackin isn't fun to do from time to time though does it?

Dober

I hear you, it don't make much difference to me if I dial 5MOA or 6MOA, I'm still dialing. Don't get me wrong.....I ain't running my 22-250's like they are 223's, but I don't try to turn them in to 'Swifts either...(grin)